Two Tree Studies

 

4/27/26 Maple Leaf neighborhood through an upstairs window

I’ve been wanting to practice sketching multiple layers of trees and foliage with varying textures and hues. It’s the type of scene I love, but it can be overwhelming to sketch on location. Initially I was going to head out to a park to look for the right scene, but I found exactly what I was looking for through an upstairs window (top of post). Although I’m sure I sketched it at some point during the pandemic when I sketched out of every window in the house many times, this scene doesn’t have an interesting composition. It perfectly served my purpose, however, as a study. I used a limited palette of five Caran d’Ache Neocolor II crayons (plus one Caran d'Ache Museum Aquarelle pencil for the sky).

Another thing I’ve been wanting to practice is dogwood trees. In past attempts, I felt I had failed to capture the airy transparency of dogwood blossoms. Unlike cherry trees, which transform into thick cottony clouds of pale pink, dogwood branches are sparsely covered, even at their peak. A photo of a dogwood I had snapped recently (I showed it a few days ago) made a good study for the sketch below.

4/27/26 photo reference

It also gave me an opportunity to practice a strategy I had talked about a while back but keep forgetting to use on location: Mixing water-soluble and non-soluble materials to the best advantage of each. I wanted the background house to be visible through the transparency of the blossoms without being cluttered with detail that detracted from the tree. I first tried using an Olive Earth Derwent Drawing pencil to draw the house, but it was too pale, so I switched to Ivory Black. Then I used five colors of Neocolor II crayons for the blossoms and foliage. I spritzed the page lightly with water. Finally, I used the black Drawing pencil to draw the branches and continue darkening the house behind the blossoms.

This exercise was, for me, the ideal use of a reference photo: To practice the kinds of techniques I want to use on a specific subject on location (which I hope to do soon).

A strategic mix of media

Long-Awaited Forest Trailhead Exhibit Opens

 

4/29/26 A tree kangaroo and a kea in the Forest Trailhead exhibit

Members got a preview this week of Woodland Park Zoo’s long-anticipated Forest Trailhead exhibit. The spacious, well-designed environment is a much-improved home for Carson, the red panda (a zoo ambassador for his endangered brethren), tree kangaroos and a kea. In an equally spacious indoor area, nearly 20 species of fish, reptiles and amphibians live in tanks.

On the day I visited, I focused on the outdoor exhibit (I’ll get to the indoor part some rainy day), where I was happy to see and sketch all three of the furry and feathered residents. (I was so eager to sketch that I forgot to take photos! I’ll certainly do that on return visits.)

Carson, the red panda, a popular zoo ambassador

As I took a walk through the rest of the zoo, I came upon Skyanna, a North American porcupine, who is a much more active ambassador. Out of her exhibit and on the main thoroughfare with human companions, Skyanna was as tame and friendly as a house a cat! We all awww’d as she munched on treats and tore up a toilet paper tube for fun.

Skyanna, a North American porcupine

This is the time of year when I get my money’s worth from my zoo membership. I’ll be back soon!

Skyanna munching on a treat

In response to a question, Skyanna's human friend explains that porcupines don't need to run fast because they wear very sharp armor!

When I arrived at opening time, the stroller set filled a long line. I sketchwaited a few minutes so that I could just walk in without standing in line.

Party for the Dayton Cedars

4/26/26 Greenwood neighborhood

 Back in October, I reported on the four “Dayton cedars,” as they are called by locals, that were slated for destruction by a developer. After more than 250 concerned and outraged citizens wrote to the developer, the plans were changed to save two of the four centenarian trees.

Last Sunday I attended a gathering around the western red cedars and the corner house behind them (which will be torn down for the multi-unit development). Although bubbly beverages and refreshments made the gathering feel like a celebration, participants were well aware of the irony: It was also a farewell to the two trees that will be cut down. Still, they conceded, losing half the trees was better than all four. Strands of tiny origami cranes decorated the two doomed trees.

Chris Collins has lived next door to the corner house for decades. At the event, he talked about how that house’s late owners, the Dyment family, had transplanted the trees from Snoqualmie Pass more than a century ago. Chris had been a major activist in trying to save the trees. He expressed appreciation to Tree Action Seattle and all the neighbors and other concerned citizens who had written to the developer. Given how ineffectual Seattle city laws are in protecting old growth trees, it’s up to citizens putting pressure on developers to save them.

The two trees on the left will be taken out along with the small house on the corner. Note all the shade that will be lost, as well as all the other natural benefits mature trees provide.

Origami Workshop

 

4/25/26 Fresh Mochi Gallery

Fresh Mochi Gallery on Beacon Hill looks unassuming. Located on a quiet, residential street, it would be easy to miss. Inside, however, a remarkable project is taking place.

Last Saturday I joined several other women in a free workshop to learn how to fold an origami vulva (yes, you read that right). Our contributions from the workshop will eventually become part of a head-exploding installation by artist Hanako O’Leary.

In a variety of media, primarily ceramics, O’Leary’s latest body of work focuses on the image of the vulva. (Some pieces are currently on exhibit at Fresh Mochi.) The origami is part of “Kamon,” which is about women’s freedom, mythology, “the strength to live in one’s own body,” and much more. This part of “Kamon” requires thousands and thousands of origami pieces that are being stitched together into a delicate, suspended, quilt-like installation. Three more segments are still in the design and conceptualization stage. 

During the two-hour workshop, I completed only two vulvas! It’s a complex structure that was more intense to learn than I anticipated. Although O’Leary has a small team helping her to make and assemble the installation, she holds regular workshops to involve the community. I am honored and humbled to participate in her work, even in this tiny way.

This was my practice piece made of commercial origami paper. O'Leary placed
 a small patch of gold leaf in the center when it was completed.
 She let contributors keep the practice pieces.

The final piece that will be included in the installation is made of a fabric-like paper hand-dyed by the artist. She placed gold leaf in the center after I took this photo. O'Leary asked each participant to write the birth name and place of their mothers on the back, honoring the heritage of our birth mothers.

The Last Kwanzan

 

On my walk to Green Lake, I saw the pavement covered with pink snowfall wherever I had enjoyed blossoms in the previous weeks. Wistfully, I looked for one last Kwanzan cherry to sketch at the park. Although this one had started to shed petals, it still had a full crown of pink. The temperature was only in the high 50s by late morning, so it wasn’t exactly warm. Avoiding the shade, a young woman sat in full sun, sewing (repairing?) a jacket – a refreshing change from the usual phone-gazers.

What a terrific season of pink we’ve had! And as the last of the Kwanzans leave the party, just arriving are the dogwoods and redbuds.

Dogwood

Redbud

Dogwood

Nothing Better

 

4/24/26 Project 9 Brewing Co.

On a lovely late afternoon, USk Seattle met at Project 9 Brewing for the first unsheltered drink & draw of the year. We had a great turnout, including Lisbon artist Mario Linhares, who was in town to give a presentation and workshop through the University of Washington’s Landscape Architecture Department.

Other sketchers who had never come to a USk outing before and long-timers who hadn’t come in a while all joined us on Project 9’s sunny deck. And why wouldn’t they? A warm (but not hot) Friday afternoon, sketching with good friends while sipping cold beverages – does it get any better? We all agreed that it doesn’t.

Bunny Sighting

 

4/23/26 Maple Leaf neighborhood

I don’t usually sketch during my short golden-hour walks; I enjoy having no sketching objective, destination or fitness goal. Still, it’s hard to resist a bunny quietly chewing grass. Getting out a colored pencil and my Field Notes made the least noise and movement.